Tinting questions - heat reduction

The factory tint is within the glass and not removable.

And yes, I've had aftermarket tint on every car I've had since 1990 (10 cars). It's hard to measure the actual change in heat inside when parked - I've read a 6% reduction, but also seen where that's disputed.

BUT, sitting inside with the sun blazing on the car, the difference between having tint and non-tinted is dramatic. Even with the A/C running and the interior down to a relatively comfortable temp, you can feel the sun searing your skin without tint, but not at all with tint as it blocks it out like sunblock.

It also protects the interior of the car from fading, and cuts glare considerably.

Just don't get one too dark, even light tints are very effective - too dark can make it difficult to see out at night (and could be illegal).

 

Isn't the "factory tinting" due to lamination of the glass? Which I think was only the front windshield in the two. I thought i read the three & four had lamination in the side windows too.

I am sure that most of the heat reduction is from reflecting inferred light, no matter the visible tint.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Perhaps you're thinking of the two eco. It is supposed to have a special windshield I believe.

 

Not sure about yours in USA, but the side windows here are tinted, though light.

WIKI says "Unlike window film, factory tint is a pigment within the glass that's installed during the manufacturing process. There is no way to remove the tint from the glass."

My understanding is that aftermarket tint reduces UV much more than the factory tint, as well as making it a shade darker.

 

In the UK I have noticed that although all the windows have the usual level of tint you would expect on a car, the front driver and passenger windows have a slightly lighter tint. This can be seen clearly if you look at the front quarter light which has an almost bronze tint to it. The lower tailgate glass however is very dark.

Before I picked up my car I was thinking of having the rear windows tinted, but due to the fronts having a different tint it almost has the look that they have been slightly tinted. You can kind of see the front windows are slightly lighter in the picture when I picked the car up.

I would not choose a heavy tint, so I am more than happy with the standard set up I have

 

I suspect the same as mine. I think if I were in a more moderate climate, I'd be happy with that too.

But where the sun blazes as strong as it does here, and this being the Skin Cancer Capital of the world, it's good to be sun-safe.

 

You could emigrate, I suppose. Mind you, there's a good chance of too much sunlight causing melanomas in UK these days! Perhaps, because it happens so rarely here we go overboard on the sunbathing!

 

You can't win. My doctor is concerned that my Vitamin D levels were too low.

40 yrs ago, habits changed - when I went out walking, it'd be after dusk, and if I'm out during the day, according the the "wisdom" of the medical fraternity, I've avoided sun, walked from shady tree to shady tree etc, do gardening on the shady side of the house.

Doctor now says - I think maybe you need to get a bit more sun.

 

Avoid dyed polyester film. The entry level is metallized film. For blocking heat, the next step up is ceramic film. Silverprius2 mentions having Rayno Phantom S5 installed, which is a nano-carbon ceramic film. Ceramic film is the best choice for most people.

Above ceramic, spectrally selective films use multiple layers of metal or ceramic to cancel infrared wavelengths. For example, Huper Optik Select Drei is a light tint (35%) with 98% infrared rejection, but it's expensive. The film has multiple layers of gold, silver, and iridium oxide. The film is thicker than normal, so it must be hand-cut and cannot be wrinkled. My Prius installation took all day and cost $995. The heat reduction is obvious in moderate heat, but subtle in extreme heat - until you get in another person's car.

 

I have always gotten my car windows tinted as I believe it makes the car more comfortable and is a good investment to protect your car interior. The Prius was the first time I sprung for the ceramic tints and I will say it's worth the ~30% price increase from standard film tints. I got 35% all around which is subtle.

My other car is tinted with normal tints, but with the ceramic, I can feel an improvement in heat dissipation with the sun beaming down on my arm while driving. The ceramic won't keep your car cooler if it's parked in the hot sun for a while but it should protect your interior.

 

I have done Huper Optik 50% on all my vehicles. It's a little pricey but definitely worth it when it comes to heat reduction.

 

LLumar window tint blocks more than 99% of harmful UV rays*. It’s why The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends window tint as part of a comprehensive skin care program.

Engineered to deliver a higher standard of performance, LLumar window tint is known for its quality, color stability and durable scratch-resistant coating. It is also known for its non-metallized ceramic window tints that maximize heat and UV rejection without interfering with your keyless entry, radar detector, mobile phone, and other radio frequency technology you rely on in your vehicle. We stand behind our products with a lifetime limited manufacturer’s warranty*.

 

I would like to see the pictures as I have a silver prius.

SM-G935P ?

 

Yeah, it's easy to misunderstand. Factory tint is is completely different than the aftermaket tint, it's in the glass. Aftermaket tint is a tacked-on film, shows at the edges, and prone to scratching/damage.

Factory tint - Wikipedia

Good question. If you search for this a lot of the responses are from tinting companies. It'd be good to see some unbiased testing. Personally, I never get it.

 

Here's mine with 20%

 

Thanks for sharing. I will be getting tints soon. Just wanted to know how dark I should go. I kind of want to go with a 50% all around. I might go with the 3M. We shall see thanks again for sharing. Did the fog lights come stock from factory or did you purchased them after you got the car.

SM-G935P ?

 

Check the Highway Code - if you go beyond the legal darkness, it's very risky.

Plus, in reality, darker than legal is going to be barely noticeable, and won't make any improvement in cool-ness.